1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stuffed toy animal and method of its manufacture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fabric backed pile fiber materials such as rayon or acrylics are commonly employed as the outer covering in the many articles. The plush pile fiber presents a fur-like appearance which is most desirable in stuffed children's toys. For example, the fur-like appearance of a stuffed toy animal simulates the feel and resiliency of an actual living animal, making the toy more familiar to the child. Thus, the simulation of playing with a living and familiar character rather than with an inanimate and abstract object is attained to a certain extent, and greater enjoyment is provided to the child. Other materials that have been used for the outer covering of the stuffed toy animal include cloth, such as cotton, wood, rayon, polyester or the like, and thin plastic films such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like.
In any case, the outer cover or skin of the stuffed toy animal is usually dyed or otherwise covered or provided with suitable appurtenances, such as a tail, to simulate the appearance of the real animal. The head of the stuffed toy animal will usually be provided with simulated fur or hair, as well as appurtenants resembling eyes, nose, mouth and ears, so as to complete the simulation of the real animal. Such toy animals are produced at low cost and typically are stuffed with foamed rubber, plastic, cotton, excelsior, sawdust, urethane, polystyrene or combinations thereof, which initially provide consistency and resilience for the stuffed toy animal.
However, after the stuffed toy animal is used by the child in his or her play for any substantial period of time, the stuffing becomes bunched and forms lumps in various parts of the figure which distorts its shape and presents a bumpy appearance. Furthermore, the remaining parts of the stuffed toy animal have empty spaces therein which cause the outer covering to wrinkle and become displaced with respect to the stuffing. Consequently, after any substantial period of use, the usual stuffed toy animal presents only a very distorted simulation of the imitated figure.
In prior art methods of manufacture, after the outer covering was die-cut into pieces, it was difficult to dye or print upon the pieces since the pieces tended to move, curl, wrinkle, or otherwise did not lay flat. Consequently, printing, marking or dyeing was accomplished prior to die-cutting the material for the outer covering into pieces. This in turn, made it difficult to align patterns such a tiger or zebra stripe along the seams of the adjacent pieces sewed together to form the outer covering without excessive waste of time or of the (striped) patterned fabric material employed. Moreover, it was difficult to use anything other than smooth stuffing to achieve a smooth surface on the outer covering of the stuffed toy animal.